Olympic Preview: Part 2

By Jon_Pastuszek

Sat, 08/09/2008 - 2:25pm

Olympic Draft Prospects

For those looking for their NBA Draft fix this coming August, be sure to tune
into the Olympics in the coming weeks. Though this year's tournament will be lacking
in sheer quantity of international prospects, there is no shortage of quality.
Projected lottery pick Ricky Rubio of Spain will be showcasing his fantastic skills
on the worldwide stage, and Patty Mils will be whirring by defenders and cameramen
alike for the Australian national team. For the host nation of China, Chen Jianhua
will attempt to electrify the crowd with his speed and quickness. These are the
top NBA prospects that will be in Beijing.

Ricky Rubio

Ricky Rubio
(Spain, PG): 17 year-old wonderkid Ricky Rubio is the best NBA prospect this year
in Beijing, and is one of the best NBA prospects in the world. At such a young
age, Rubio is already considered by some to be among the best point guards in
the ACB, and will continue to see more and more minutes as he matures. Standing
at 6-3, the floppy haired Rubio reminds a lot of people of Pete Maravich, due
to his uncanny dribbling ability, court vision and flare.

Like the late Maravich, Ricky doesn't possess eye-popping athleticism or speed.
However, he makes up for it with tremendous court-sense, anticipation and basketball
IQ. Rubio sees things on the court before they happen, and is able to instantaneously
make smart decisions on the fly. His great anticipation also makes him a terror
in passing lanes and he is able to fly out of nowhere to pick off passes. Though
not overly quick, Rubio is very shifty and uses his advanced dribbling skills
to get around opponents and into the lane.

Rubio is not a complete prospect, however. He does not elevate on his jumpshot
and his three-pointer is not consistent enough to be considered as part of his
arsenal. Furthermore, Rubio's lack of lateral quickness could make him a defensive
liability in the NBA. And he needs to put some weight on. Nevertheless, Rubio
is only 17, and has plenty of time to work on his weaknesses and develop his game.
If he continues to succeed professionally in Europe, he could eventually catapult
himself into the top five pick.
Patrick Mills (Australia, PG): Patrick Mills, or Patty as he is called, is
an Australian point-guard who currently plays NCAA ball for Saint Mary's College.
During his freshman year at SMC, Mills was simply sensational, averaging 14.8
points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game, helping to propel the Gaels to an
NCAA Tournament bid. Before enrolling at SMC, Mills honed his skills while attending
the world-famous Australian Institute of Sports for three years.

Patty excels in an up-tempo offense, where he can utilize his blinding speed to
push the ball in the open court. Mills also demonstrates great elevation and form
on his jumpshot, which extends beyond the three-point line. He is also an excellent
distributor, and has a knack for getting into the lane and finding an open teammate.
At 6-0, Mills is a bit undersized and he is unable to finish above the rim, which
hurts his NBA stock. Also, he tends to rely on the three point shot too much and
can make poor decisions in the half-court.

Still, Mills will be a sophomore and still has time to develop. If Mills continues
to improve his game, he could be a first round pick by his junior or senior year.
Mills should log some quality minutes of the Boomers bench, and is definitely
a player to watch due to his explosive scoring, and tremendous speed in the open
court.

Joe Ingles (Australia, SF): At
6-8, Joe Ingles has good size and projects to play on the wing in the NBA. The
left hander has a smooth stroke from three, and moves fluidly on the court. Like
his teammate Mills, Ingles has a solid set of fundaments that he acquired while
attending the Australian Institute of Sports.

Joe has also been praised on his passing ability. He has good vision and a good
understanding of the game, which allows him to pick out teammates and make smart
decisions. Though he has nice form on his shot, he can be streaky. His ball handling
is suspect, as is his ability to finish at the rim. Ingles is projected to be
a second round prospect, and could see his name called if he is able to become
more consistent from three.

Tim Ohlbrecht (Germany, PF/C):
Olbrecht is a guy who has a lot of tools, but has not put it all together yet.
Dubbed as the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki at a young age, Tim has largely disappointed
scouts and coaches alike. Standing at seven feet, Tim has a long wingspan, good
athleticism, and a strong 220 pound frame.

On paper, the guy looks like a highly promising NBA prospect. However, Ohlbrecht
does not use those tools to his advantage. He shies away from the painted area
and roams around the perimeter, jacking up three point shots. He has poor mechanics,
and his perimeter shots rarely go in. He also has no floor game, and is sloppy
when he puts the ball on the pine.
With such an outstanding frame, you would think Tim would be much more effective
than he is. Ohlbrecht seems as if he will never realize his full potential, and
has slipped to borderline NBA prospect at this point.

Chen Jianhua (China, PG): In
China, Chen is known as the "Chinese AI" because of his quickness, ball
handling and leaping ability. But, that is where the comparison stops. Though
very quick, Chen struggles mightily against pressure, and tends to over-dribble
into turnovers. Chen is also an undisciplined passer, making poor decisions and
throwing the ball into traffic. This is especially obvious when he is in the half-court,
where his quickness and speed are neutralized.

Chen is a potentially intriguing prospect due to his great quickness, but needs
to improve in a multitude of areas if he is to get into the NBA. He will be backing
up Liu Wei for Team China, and will need to play more in control if China is to
advance to the medal rounds.

Hamed Hadadi (Iran, C): Iranian
bigman Hamed Hadadi is, perhaps, the most intruiging NBA prospect other than Rubio.
But at 23-years-old, the 7-foot-2, 254 pound Hadadi is too old for the draft.

Several sources have reported that he has received contract offers from NBA teams,
and the belief is that he may sign with a team after the Olympics.
Hadadi currently plays for Saba Battery Tehran in the Iranian Basketball Super
League. Hadadi was one of the top players at the FIBA
Asia Championship last year, where Iran
beat Lebanon for the title. Hadadi rejected
an offer from a top Serbian team in the past.

Posted on: Thu, 01/22/2009 - 10:00am

Dersimli

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Joined: 01/22/2009

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Like the late Maravich,

Like the late Maravich, Ricky doesn't possess eye-popping athleticism or speed. However, he makes up for it with tremendous court-sense, anticipation and basketball IQ. Rubio sees things on the court before they happen, and is able to instantaneously make smart decisions on the fly. His great anticipation also makes him a terror in passing lanes and he is able to fly out of nowhere to pick off passes. Though not overly quick, Rubio is very shifty and uses his advanced dribbling skills to get around opponents and into the lane.

Patrick Mills, or Patty as he is called, is an Australian point-guard who currently plays NCAA ball for Saint Mary's College.prefabrik evler

Posted on: Fri, 04/03/2009 - 11:17am

mikese

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I really would love to see

I really would love to see some exhibition games, like bring some good european team to the US to play the knicks at MSG, a lot of people basketball fans etc dont really know how good they are over in europe. The fans are as crazy for basketball as they are soccer. Granted some guys use steroids in all the leagues these guys are giants as it is and no one can really tell.